Luke 1:46-55 (NRSV)
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
God’s track record is what fuels faith for the future.
For reflection:
1.What are some attributes of God can we identify in Mary’s song?
2.In her song of praise, Mary places herself humbly under God and recounts his actions personally as well as his promises made to the people. If you were to write your own song of response to God in your life, What would your verses say about God? What would they reflect about you?
3. Can you recall a time when you petitioned God to intervene, but —instead of meeting your expectation directly—God brought Joy to the world?
4. Has there been a time when God responded to your prayers and petitions with invitations for you to take action?
5. Mary’s humility plays no small role in her finding Joy in her situation and understanding the nature of her blessing. Has there been a time where humility allowed you to experience greater joy?
6. When we think of God as a promise keeper, it’s reassuring of the love of God. How can we work on being better promise keepers for those we love and those we’re called to love? Conversely, how has someone that loves you demonstrated that love through keeping promises?
7. Luke 1:50 states: “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” What does it mean to “fear” the Lord?
8. In Luke 1:51 we read that God “scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” There is a specific quality to the nature of God’s actions here that relies on the hearts & plans of the proud being used as the means of their scattering. Have you had a moment or situation in which you realized you were “scattered” in your own imagination and needed to humbly seek God?